2.28.2008

Katie (my 13 year old): Which potatohead did you get?Me: Yam Solo.Katie: Who?Me: Yam Solo.Katie: Which one is that suposse to be?Me: Han Solo.Katie: Who's that?Me: You know the guy that's always with Chewbacca.Katie: Oh.

2.27.2008

I'm in a funk. I've tried all the sure fire music to combat the funk. I walked some laps thnking excercise would help. I've spent time studying and in prayer. Just can't put my finger on it. I'm not a fan of the non-specific funk.

2.26.2008

I need a case for my ipod. Why? I'm rough on some electronics. I have a teenage daughter that is harder on even them. Displeased with the expensive and cheap cases avaiable in Lufkin and Nac, I found ifrogz online.

Great product! Easy to customize your ipod. Currently 30% off skins. Use coupon code fastcoupons for 15% off your order. I ordered one last night and got a pink aluminun case for Karen's for $10 (normally $25). Doesn't your ipod deserve it?This is my first ipod accessory (probably my last).

2.18.2008

I protest that I never know what to blog. Truth is I'm too lazy/busy to give you the good stuff routinely. The following has been rolling around in my rock-tumbler-brian and is now polished for you:

The 10 most influential albums of my life. They may have changed the way I hear music, helped through a difficult time, instantly connected, been formational or foundational. No explanation or justification. They are. I hope you'll pick up and post your's as well.

2.07.2008

Our main computer at home crashed about 10 months ago. It was old. It was time. The only setback was that on the hard drive sits about 30 CDs worth of music and I have no clue where the CDs are hiding.

This computer had crashed before. Through an elobrate recovery process most of the data was saved. Not the happy ending this time. There are several CDs I keep my eyes open for when I have time to look at used CDs . I just haven't had the motivation to spend $10 a CD on itunes to replace each. Heck, the CDs have to be somewhere right?

Yesterday, I stumbled across a band I had had written off. So, I'm glad to be listening again to The Alarm.

The Alarm emerged from Wales in the early 1980s. It started as a local punk band with a spirited, energetic acoustic/folk influence, stayed together for ten years, and landed 7 top 10 singles. The Alarm incorporated elements of punk, folk, new wave, roots rock, and classic rock, and, unusually for a rock band, displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture. By opening for acts such as U2 and Bob Dylan, they became a popular alt.rock band of the 1980's. Mike Peters, lead singer, carries on as a solo artist and carrying on with the band name. In 2003, The Alarm was part of VH1s Bands Reunited.

2.04.2008

VISALIA, Calif. — First Covenant Church unveiled a new mission statement last week, hoping to launch the church into an era of greater unity and spiritual effectiveness.But response to the two-page statement has been decidedly mixed among church members who despair of memorizing it as the church has requested. "It’s a verbal tangle of quasi-eloquent nothingness," grumbles one man. "I can’t even say it right when it’s projected on the screen. I end up with a mouthful of blah."The new statement reads:"First Covenant Church exists for the passion and purpose of inspiring, discipling, equipping and sending out Christ followers with the destiny of transforming the world to the glory of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and fostering a graceful yet convicting church environment in which people of all faith experiences and backgrounds are molded into the image and reflection of Christ, together creating a God-honoring community of authentic worshipers deliberately focused on reaching their community, the nation, the next generation of believers and the world through missions works, innovative programs and prayer." And that’s just the first sentence.The church has gone into a full-court press to get members to memorize the statement. The full text is posted on every door in the church, in bathroom stalls, in the bulletin and on all church correspondence and emails. The church is running a half-page ad featuring the statement in the local newspaper for two weeks. They were unable to fit it into their usual quarter-page space. Services now begin with everyone holding up their Bibles and reading the statement off the screens together with the pastor. All church-sanctioned events, from small groups to softball games, must now begin with participants reciting it together."It takes longer to get through than the national anthem," says one softball team captain. "The other teams laugh at us." Pastor Jack Lewine says he felt obligated to promote the statement mainly because his associate pastor Glen Pamplin had labored over it for six months before presenting it to the church. But even Lewine admits he had to delay the unveiling for two weeks so he could "get my own head around it." He can now recite it in less than 90 seconds, of which he is proud. Pamplin is reportedly irritated by people’s "reluctance to get on board with what God is doing at First Covenant." He says the statement’s length simply reflects that God has a lot in store for the church in the future. Bristling at the criticism, Pamplin recently floated the idea of throwing a contest with a cash prize to see if anyone in the congregation can come up with a better statement "that still fully encompasses, embodies and encourages our fundamental mission as an outpost of grace, joy and love for Christ in the city to which he has called us at this time in history," he says.Suggestions are already rolling in."How about, ‘Jesus rules,’" says one seventh grader. "They should pay me by how many words I didn’t use." •

2.01.2008

Scenes from the Bible have been imagined by countless artists over the centuries, but never quite like this. God’s Eye View portrays four key Biblical events as if captured by Google Earth. Above, The Crucifixion.

It’s the work of Sydney-based “creative collective” The Glue Society. The project was commissioned by Eric Romano of Pulse Art, New York for its Miami art fair.Romano had seen the group’s Hot with a Chance of a Late Storm installation (below), a comment on global warming in which a melting ice cream van oozed across the promenade and onto the sand at Tamarama in Australia last year as part of Sydney’s Sculpture by the Sea event, and commisssioned them to create this new work.

“We like to disorientate audiences a little with all our work. And with this piece we felt technology now allows events which may or may not have happened to be visualized and made to appear dramatically real,” say The Glue Society’s James Dive.

“As a method of representation satellite photography is so trusted, it has been interesting to mess with that trust.”

The Glue Society is aiming to produce further works using the same satellite imagery next year but this time relating to mythological occurrences and major historical events.

God’s Eye View depicts Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Noah’s Ark, Moses parting the Red Sea and The Crucifixion.

AMC screens another Oscar marathonLast year AMC offered a sweet deal for moviegoers who wanted to see all of the best-picture Oscar nominees before the telecast: The theater chain screened each film on one day, and audiences could see them all for a discounted price.On Feb. 23, AMC will present another "Best Picture Showcase." For $30, moviegoers can catch Juno, No Country for Old Men, Atonement, There Will Be Blood and Michael Clayton. You'll also get unlimited popcorn! Go here to find out which theaters are participating so you can purchase tickets in advance.